Eyed Hawk, a new froghopper and other bits and pieces

There were no stand-out highlights in the moth trap on 3rd September, though an Eyed Hawk-moth is always nice, especially after things have slowed down in the autumn.  The others were Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 4 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Light Emeralds, 12 Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwing, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Square-spot Rustic, Nutmeg, 3 Common Wainscots, 5 Flounced Rustics, Rosy Rustic and Straw Dot.

Eyed Hawk-moth, North Elmham, 3rd September

There was also a Hornet and the following caddisflies: Hydropsyche pellucidula, Hydropsyche siltalai, Limnephilus auricula and 7 Limnephilus lunatus.

Moth trapping at the meadows the following night produced a reasonable variety for this late in the  season: Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, White-shouldered Smudge Ypsolopha parenthesella, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Chinese Characters, Blood-vein, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, Sharp-angled Carpet, 3 Brimstone Moths, Dusky Thorn, Common Wave, Light Emerald, 4 Flame Shoulders, 3 Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 35 Square-spot Rustics, White-point, Brown-spot Pinion, 4 Centre-barred Sallows, Vine's Rustic, Spectacle, Straw Dot and 2 Snouts.

White-point, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th September

Brown-spot Pinion, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th September

Just one mayfly noticed, a Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita.  A good variety of caddisflies though: Polycentropus flavomaculatus, Hydropsyche pellucidula, 2 Small Silver Sedges Lepidostoma hirtum, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 3 Limnephilus auricula, 30 Limnephilus lunatus, Limnephilus marmoratus and Limnephilus sparsus.

Leafhoppers included a probable female Macrosteles sexnotatus and a new species for me, Aphrodes makarovi.

Aphrodes makarovi, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th September

Beetles included Strawberry Seed Beetle Harpalus rufipes, Pea-leaf Weevil Sitona lineatus and, feeding on Burdock flowers, Curtonotus aulicus.

Curtonotus aulicus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th September

At home that night Pine Carpet was new for the year.  Other highlights were Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella and Thatch Neb Bryotropha basaltinella. The former was my third this year of a species I hadn't previously recorded here and the latter was my fourth this year of a species that until this year hadn't been recorded anywhere else in Norfolk.

Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 4th September

Thatch Neb Bryotropha basaltinella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 4th September

By recent standards 32 species in a night was excellent - the rest were Garden Midget Phyllonorycter messaniella, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 4 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 6 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 4 Blood-veins, Grey Pine Carpet, Green Carpet, 5 Brimstone Moths, Dusky Thorn, 3 Light Emeralds, 13 Large Yellow Underwings, 2 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 4 Square-spot Rustics, Nutmeg, Angle Shades, Flounced Rustic, 4 Vine's Rustics, Burnished Brass, Straw Dot and 4 Snouts.

Mayflies and lacewings were 3 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum, Cunctochrysa albolineata and Hemerobius humulinus.

There were very large numbers of caddisflies in the trap, though no unusual species among them: 10 Hydropsyche pellucidula, 3 Mottled Sedges Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 13 Limnephilus auricula, 3 Limnephilus flavicornis, 46 Limnephilus lunatus, 2 Limnephilus marmoratus and 3 Limnephilus sparsus.

Not much else noted - Forest Bug, the sexton beetle Nicrophorus investigator, 5 Hornets and a Common Frog.

The following night the leafhopper Kybos betulicola appeared in my study

In the moth trap there were two new moths for the garden year-list, Brown-spot Pinion and Lunar Underwing.

Brown-spot Pinion, North Elmham, 5th September

Lunar Underwing, North Elmham, 5th September

Other moths were Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella, 4 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Garden Carpet, 2 Brimstone Moths, Dusky Thorn, Engrailed, Light Emerald, Flame Shoulder, 6 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2 Square-spot Rustics, Common Wainscot, Frosted Orange, Vine's Rustic and 3 Snouts.

Other insects included the mayfly Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita, the brown lacewing Hemerobius lutescens, the caddisflies 3 Hydropsyche pellucidula, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 4 Limnephilus auricula, 3 Limnephilus flavicornis, 16 Limnephilus lunatus, 3 Limnephilus marmoratus and 2 Limnephilus sparsus, a Harlequin Ladybird and 2 Hornets.

Moth numbers continued to dwindle with the following on 6th: Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 2 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Single-dotted Wave, Brimstone Moth, 5 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Lesser Yellow Underwings and Setaceous Hebrew Character.  There was one mayfly (Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum), one beetle (Bradycellus verbasci) and these caddisflies: Hydropsyche pellucidula, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus flavicornis, 6 Limnephilus lunatus and Limnephilus sparsus.

Next day a walk round the meadows produced a few insects including Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Small Copper and Comma.

Small Copper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th September

A White-shouldered Smudge Ypsolopha parenthesella was the only adult moth found but vacated leaf-mines of Scrubland Pigmy Stigmella plagicolella and 2 Apple Leaf-miners Lyonetia clerkella were also seen.

vacated leaf-mine of Scrubland Pigmy Stigmella plagicolella in Blackthorn, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th September

vacated leaf-mines of Apple Leaf-miners Lyonetia clerkella in Wild Cherry, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th September

Other insects included 2 7-spot Ladybirds, the hoverfly Myathropa florea, a Turnip Sawfly and lots of wasps feeding on ivy.  They included lots of Common Wasps, at least one German Wasp and 2 Hornets, but among them I had brief views of a Colletes bee which was very probably an Ivy Bee.  Ivy Bee was new to science as recently as 1993 and arrived in the UK in 2001, reaching Norfolk by 2014.  It is now common in many places but as hard as I tried to find one at the meadows this autumn this brief sighting was the nearest I got.  Sadly it wasn't quite good enough to be 100% sure - I believe there are one or two other Colletes species that can visit ivy at this time of year and my views were not sufficient to rule out one of them.

Turnip Sawfly, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th September

Shaking some Field Maple keys produced the barkfly Ectopsocus briggsi, a harvestman and 2 spiders.  The latter were I think immature, or at least I could not see enough detail in their epigyne to be able to match them to any species, but I think they were an Araniella sp. and a Philodromus sp.  My references on harvestmen are sparse but from searching the internet I'm pretty sure this one was Paroligolophus agrestis, a species I hadn't previously identified.

Ectopsocus briggsi (female), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th September

Philodromus sp., North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th September

Paroligolophus agrestis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th September

At home that night a small selection of moths consisted of Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Blood-vein, Double-striped Pug, Lilac Beauty, Early Thorn, Light Emerald, Heart and Dart, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, 6 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Square-spot Rustic and 2 Common Wainscots.  There were 2 Hornets and the only other insects noted were caddisflies: 2 Mottled Sedges Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 10 Limnephilus lunatus and 2 Limnephilus marmoratus.

2 Sallows were new for the year the following night.

Sallow, North Elmham, 8th September

Other moths were 2 Beech Midgets Phyllonorycter maestingella, Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, Rhomboid Tortrix Acleris rhombana, 3 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 9 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Small Birch Bell Epinotia ramella, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, Chinese Character, Maiden's Blush, Blood-vein, 2 Garden Carpets, Treble-bar, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Dusky Thorns, Early Thorn, 2 Light Emeralds, Flame, Flame Shoulder, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 2 Square-spot Rustics, 2 Common Wainscots, Brown-spot Pinion, Lunar Underwing and Snout.

Other insects included 3 mayflies, all Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum, 2 green lacewings, both Cunctochrysa albolineata, 4 Forest Bugs and 2 beeetles, both Aphodius rufipes.  Caddisflies were Hydropsyche siltalai, 5 Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus flavicornis, 15 Limnephilus lunatus, Limnephilus marmoratus and Limnephilus sparsus.
 

Hedgehog in the garden

I found this Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella in the house on Monday 24th July, my third in less than a year - not bad for a moth that was only twice recorded in Norfolk between 1874 and 2014!

Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 24th July

That night (a windy one) was poor for moths with just Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, House Groundling Bryotropha domestica, 2 Timothy Tortrixes Aphelia paleana, Dover Shade Cnephasia genitalana, 3 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, 4 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 14 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 2 Chequered Straws Evergestis pallidata, 11 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Large Emerald, Blood-vein, Small Fan-footed Wave, 10 Single-dotted Waves, 6 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Willow Beauty, Pebble Prominent, Swallow Prominent, 2 Yellow-tails, 2 Rosy Footmen, Dingy Footman, 4 Common Footmen, Flame Shoulder, 2 Nutmegs, Dun-bar, 2 Uncertains, 3 Rustics and Nut-tree Tussock.

I did get a lifer though - a mayfly... Pale Watery Baetis fuscatus.

Pale Watery Baetis fuscatus, North Elmham, 24th July

Numerically it was a good night for mayflies but apart from the above there was no variety - just 13 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum.  Lacewings were represented by 2 Dichochrysa flavifrons and Caddisflies by Hydropsyche siltalai and 2 Limnephilus marmoratus.

The next night was even worse - just Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 5 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Large Emerald, Maiden's Blush, Blood-vein, 11 Single-dotted Waves, Riband Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, 3 Scalloped Oaks, Peppered Moth, 3 Pebble Prominents, Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, Common Footman, Buff Ermine, Ruby Tiger, Large Yellow Underwing and Dun-bar. Well there were some nice moths there I suppose, if not many species.  No mayflies, lacewings, caddisflies, bugs or beetles.

Wednesday 26th July was a bit better.  It started off during the day with perhaps my highest number of different butterflies seen in the garden on any one day - Large White, Brimstone, Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma, Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood, all but the last courtesy of the buddleia.

That night produced the first new moths for the year for 5 nights (crumbs, that's bad in July!) - Barred White Clothes Moth Nemapogon clematella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, Pebble Hook-tip and Maple Pug.

Barred White Clothes Moth Nemapogon clematella, North Elmham, 26th July

Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, North Elmham, 26th July

Pebble Hook-tip, North Elmham, 26th July

Maple Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 26th July

Other moths were Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, Hawthorn Ermel Paraswammerdamia nebulella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, 6 Cinereous Groundlings Bryotropha terrella, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, 3 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana (f. ferrugana), Cereal Tortrix Cnephasia pumicana, 2 Dover Shades Cnephasia genitalana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 2 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 20 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 4 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 10 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 4 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis, Chinese Character, Least Carpet, 3 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Riband Waves, Flame Carpet, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Common Carpet, 2 Lime-speck Pugs, Currant Pug, Yellow-barred Brindle, Scalloped Oak, Willow Beauty, Pebble Prominent, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, Yellow-tail, Dingy Footman, Scarce Footman, Common Footman, 2 Ruby Tigers, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 3 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, Nutmeg, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Silver Y and Straw Dot.

A Turnip Sawfly was new for the garden and the bug Phytocoris varipes was new for the year.

Turnip Sawfly, North Elmham, 26th July

Phytocoris varipes, North Elmham, 26th July

Other insects included 3 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum (mayflies), 2 Dichochrysa flavifrons (green lacewings), Hydropsyche siltalai and Limnephilus marmoratus (caddisflies).

Butterflies at Burnham Overy on 27th included 4 Brown Arguses, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and Wall Brown.  There was also a Stoat.

I've been seeing frogs in the garden most nights this summer but on 28th there was a Common Toad for a change.  It was an absolutely dire night for moths with just Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 3 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, 4 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 3 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 4 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Large Emerald, 2 Single-dotted Waves, Riband Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorns, 2 Poplar Hawk-moths, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Common Footman, Buff Ermine, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Setaceous Hebrew Character and 2 Rustics.  Also a Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella in the house.

Next day (Friday 28th) was a substantial improvement, though not exactly great for July.  There were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Cherry Fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, 3 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Dover Shade Cnephasia genitalana, 3 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 13 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, 12 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Large Emerald, Blood-vein, 2 Least Carpets, 3 Single-dotted Waves, 4 Riband Waves, 3 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Large Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Common Carpet, Small Rivulet, Magpie Moth, Canary-shouldered Thorn, Willow Beauty, Poplar Hawk-moth, 2 Dingy Footmen, 2 Flame Shoulders, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Nutmeg, 3 Dun-bars, Dark Arches, Slender Brindle, Common Rustic and 4 Straw Dots.

Cherry Fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, North Elmham, 28th July

There were also 5 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum and a good selection of green lacewings: Chrysopa commata, 5 Chrysoperla carnea (2 confirmed males and 3 aggregate females), Cunctochrysa albolineata and 11 Dichochrysa flavifrons.  Also the caddisfly Limnephilus lunatus, 3 Forest Bugs and the leafhopper Empoasca vitis.  As I was emptying the moth trap I was delighted to have this Hedgehog visit me, the first time I've seen one in the garden (though I've heard them before).  It soon shuffled off again when I started trying to take its picture.

Hedgehog, North Elmham, 28th July

A day at Burnham Overy

I spent much of Friday birding Burnham Overy but as always kept an eye out for moths and other insects, especially when more of them become active towards dusk.

There has been a noticeable immigration of Painted Ladies - hard to know how many but I reckon I saw at least 25-30.  Other butterflies included Wall Brown, Holly Blue and my first Red Admiral of the year.

Painted Lady, Burnham Overy, 5th June

Holly Blue, Burnham Overy, 5th June

I suspect this Azure Damselfly in the dunes had been blown there from inland rather than being an immigrant.

Azure Damselfly, Burnham Overy, 5th June

The dusking for moths wasn't as successful as I'd hoped, largely due to the wind.  A couple of things got away and I recorded Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea, 2 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus and Yellow Shell. This next moth really had me stumped though.  A small greyish-brown Tortrix with big pale spots... what on earth was it?

At an impasse I started to question whether it reall was a Tortrix, after all it was quite small.  I checked various options from other families and wondered for a while if it might be a very worn example of a larger Incurvaria species, or even Lampronia.  Some of them shared some of the pale spots, most prominent on the dorsum and along the costa, though most lacked the pale spot in the middle of the wing.  Eventually I found a picture of Lampronia splendidella that seemed to show a similar pattern - but that's not a British species (though not from very far east of Britain, so perhaps not completely inconceivable).  Under the microscope it didn't seem to have much of a tongue which I think is good for these families but I wasn't convinced by the antennae which were simple, lacking any hint of pectinations.  Then after it had expired it stuck its tongue out - it did have a long proboscis after all, so I was back with the Tortricidae.  Only then did I notice through the microscope that it had just a very few yellow and orangey coloured scales on its wings.  Not many, but enough to make me think that when fresh this would perhaps have been a yellow and orange species.  And then at last the penny dropped - it was just another Downland Conch Aethes tesserana.  Compare this picture from Lepiforum with mine below:

Downland Conch Aethes tesserana, Burnham Overy, 5th June

Beetle action included a few Catharis rustica...

Catharis rustica, Burnham Overy, 5th June

This fly is quite distinctive and quite attractive as flies go - Coastal Silver-stiletto apparently, although the abdomen wasn't quite as stiletto-shaped as it is in most pics...

Coastal Silver-stiletto, Burnham Overy, 5th June

There were loads of these Turnip Sawflies on the Alexanders - don't recall seeing this species before.

Turnip Sawfly, Burnham Overy, 5th June

Here's another beetle I can't identify - let me know if you recognise it.

unidentified Beetle, Burnham Overy, 5th June

Some nice plants here too, like these.

Houndstongue, Burnham Overy, 5th June

Yellow Horned-poppy, Burnham Overy, 5th June

Not all the plants were doing so well... these Spindle trees were covered in green leaves last visit with just a few small tents of Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella larvae visible.  Now they are completely stripped.

Spindle trees stripped by Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella caterpillars, Burnham Overy, 5th June